or how the upheaval in syria and the rise of the muslim brotherhood in egypt have affected hamas. how the treaty between egypt and israel remains the bedrock for peace in the region despite all the change going on around it. how israel's concerns over iran's nuclear program shape its overall security posture. then there are the economics of border crossings and fishing rights and concerns about smuggling and arms proliferation. the list goes on. the united states really does need to bring an unprecedented level of strategic sophistication to these -- rather than just going and chasing after the crisis of the moment. american policy makers need to play chess, not checkers. some would have us wall off certain challenges -- that is just not realistic in today's world. that leads me to the fifth area -- a set of interconnected global challenges that defied both national borders and easy solutions. climate change -- poverty, hunger, disease, nuclear proliferation, human trafficing, women's rights, international terrorism, and more. no one nation can solve many of these problems alone.